God's Coaching #342

God's Coaching #342

Lending a hand is easy. Lending a kidney? Not so much. But that’s exactly what Washington Nationals hitting coach Rick Eckstein did. Rick comes from a family with a history of kidney failure. Four of his immediate family members—his father, two sisters, and a brother—all needed kidney transplants at one time or another. Near the end of the 2010 Major League Baseball season, Rick started feeling a heavy burden for his brother, Ken, who had received his first kidney transplant in 1991 and needed to replace the 19-year-old organ quickly.

Rick decided to donate one of his kidneys to Ken. This was no small decision. Not only was he giving up an organ, but he was also potentially affecting his career. As a highly dedicated hitting coach, Rick had learned how to swing like each hitter on the team so he could better teach his players. Any complications from surgery might have hindered that ability. No matter. Because of his deep love for his brother, Rick endured a successful five-and-a-half-hour transplant surgery with Ken on this day in 2010. As he was being wheeled into his recovery room, Rick gave Ken a thumbs-up.

What’s the Score?

Rick Eckstein’s decision to help his brother was an incredible example of Philippians 2:3: “Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” And while not all of us are called to donate organs, we all must obey the biblical command to consider others better than ourselves.

A simpler way to say it is, “Put others first.” This is at the heart of the gospel message. When we place our faith in Jesus, we are committing our lives to the ultimate model of putting others first.

After all, Jesus humbled himself by coming to earth and dying for all of humanity’s sins. If that’s not putting others first, nothing is! To put others first, we must stop thinking of ourselves so highly and actively look for ways to serve others. If Jesus considered us better than himself (even though we’re far from it!), certainly we can do the same to others.

On the Ball

Read Philippians 2:1-11 to better understand Christ’s example of considering others better than yourself. Then list three ways you can do that today:

1.

2.

3.

Coach’s Comment

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3